Anyone could have guessed that the announcement of the 34 players for Canada's Olympic "orientation" set for Calgary in six weeks would have caused more than a little controversy.

In actuality, the event acted as a starting pistol for resentment, bitterness and second-guessing across Canada and even into the United States.

So why all the hostility?

Perhaps some of the questionable picks made by the selection committee, especially picks made by general managers off their own NHL franchises have some up in arms.

Eyebrows were raised everywhere but in Edmonton when Anson Carter's name appeared on the list. Carter is an above average hockey player, but he isn't a player that would appear on most pundits fifty player lists going into the Olympic games.

Similar picks were made from the Dallas Stars with Richard Matvichuk and Brendan Morrow.

Canadian Depth

The truth of the matter is that Canadian depth is such, that no matter how many times the group submitted a list many would not be happy.

The game is in a transitional period with seasoned all-stars like Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Patrick Roy and Al MacInnis still on top of their games, while an exciting ambush of youth such as Alex Tanguay, Simon Gagne and Ed Jovanovski have improved greatly since the Nagano Olympics.

Is there more depth in Canadian hockey now, than at any other time?

One could argue such when you see the list of players not invited for the camp.

Their fans often quote statistics in their defence, as to why they feel their favourite hockey sons have been snubbed.

In reality, a team like this can't be selected on offensive production alone, an NHL all-star team wouldn't do very well in an Olympic Games. Players that dominate different aspects of the game have to be merged into a winning unit.

But what would this Production Team look like?

Team Canada - By Statistics

The following roster represents a 34-man squad based on points per game from last year's NHL season. Any player with less than 50 games played is ineligible. Goaltenders were picked on the basis of wins last season. Players in black were selected for the actual Olympic camp.

When basing the lineup on statistics alone, an improbable thirteen new players surface on the 34-man squad, including some surprises like Ray Ferarro and Gord Murphy.

Some very prominent players wouldn't get an invite including Owan Nolen, Ryan Smyth, Adam Foote and Curtis Joseph.

No-Win Proposition

In the end selecting a team for Canada puts a committee in a no-win situation.

The country is starved for some international success after tripping on their skates in the last World Cup and Olympic Games. Once again, anything less than Gold is unacceptable.

An infinite number of lists could have been submitted each with a good chance of success, but also with an equal chance at failure. Unlike basketball, in hockey there are no less than seven "dream teams", and the team that gels the fastest for a brief tournament will be on the medal podium.